Tis The Season
by JennBenson
Summary: A series of holiday one-shots, featuring our favorite couple. Rating changed to M, but just for Chapter 6. The rest are still pretty T.
1. All I Want

**_Hello Again!_**

 ** _This latest work will be a collection of stand alone, holiday one-shots - by request. If you have an idea or request, send it my way in a PM and I'll see what I can do._**

 ** _This first one-shot is a very special one...for eopartners._**

 ** _Mistakes are mine. Ed, Olivia and Noah, sadly, are not. Sigh._**

* * *

 **All I Want**

Ed sat motionless by a hospital bed, nothing but the beep of a machine in the background. Occasionally he heard a gust of wind from the swirling blizzard, and it brought a chill to his body. But that chill was nothing in comparison to the frozen nature of his heart in that moment. His piercing blue eyes were still on the angelic face of his girlfriend – now fiancé – and his mind was racing back through all of their time together, as he hoped and prayed it wasn't coming to an end.

 _"I think you should try the bourbon…" he said and walked back towards the corner of the bar, almost mentally kicking himself for saying something so ridiculous. But to his surprise, she followed him with a smirk donning her face and it nearly brought him to his knees. As he ordered them each a bourbon and they toasted each other, he knew right then that he was putty in her hands._

That first drink hadn't lasted very long, but it was long enough for Ed to keep going back to the look on her face. How her hair glowed in the soft lighting of the bar, the brown specs in her eyes twinkling as she would smile and laugh at some of his comments.

Now, she was pale and her hair was fanned out on the crisp, white sheets of Mercy General's ICU wing. No bruises marred her face, by some miracle, but he knew the damage was internal.

He hoped that other driver was experiencing just as much as pain as he was in that moment. And all for what, a quick text message? A tweet? Now his life, his whole world, was fighting to get better. It just wasn't fair.

Ed's eyes closed, his hand still clutching Olivia's, as he continued down memory lane.

 _The night was chilly, but not too chilly, as they walked down the bustling New York City street. Olivia's hair was blowing lightly in the wind and both of them were looking straight ahead, wanting to be close to each other but still tentative of the spark they were feeling._

 _"Ya know what? Not here…" she had said, as they neared their usual after-work drink spot._

 _Ed, surprised at her sudden change of mind, was happy to give her whatever she wanted. And he said as much._

 _"Wherever you wanna go. You tell me…"_

 _As soon as those words left his mouth, she clutched his arm as they continued on their way and Ed's heart just swelled. Olivia Benson was on his arm and leading the way. He would follow her anywhere._

Opening his eyes back in the present moment, Ed scanned her face and her body, watching the rise and fall of her chest. There was a twinkle of colorful lights from the mini Christmas tree Noah had insisted be brought to the room that morning.

 _"Mommy gotta have a tree, Cap'n", he had said, as Lucy brought the toddler into his mother's room for a quick visit. "If she have tree, den she wake up."_

 _"Maybe you're right bud," Ed had told him, letting Noah settled on his lap and watch his mom for a bit. He held the three year old close to him, kissing his head, and promising that he would always be there for him. But they both needed Olivia to just wake up._

"Noah brought you a Christmas tree," Ed told her. "Fin finished picking up his Santa gifts for us and is keeping them at his place until we are ready to wrap them. I think he secretly loved playing Santa, but he pretended to be annoyed by it all."

He kept watching her face, as he just made small talk and caught her up on the holiday preparations.

"I know you were still mulling over what to get me…and I was no help…" Ed said with a little laugh, as he thought back to how she frustrated she got with him every time he responded with "I don't know" to her asking what he wanted for Christmas.

 _"Well, you have to get something," she had responded with. "And it can't just be sex. It has to be something you can open in front of Noah."_

 _"How about you get me a new blue polo?" he had suggested as he looked her up and down._

 _"You're such a pain in the ass," she said with a laugh. "But you're MY pain in the ass."_

Now as he sat next to her, he kissed her hand and told her his Christmas Wish.

"I just want you to wake up," he whispered. "That is all I want this year. You."

 _"What, do you sleep with a radio under your pillow?" Olivia had quipped at him, causing him to smirk inwardly as he admired the way she looked with her hair in a ponytail, exposing her neck. He loved that neck. The way Noah would curl into it when he was tired or upset. The way he could just bury his face in it, and breathe in her scent. The way she would whimper when he kissed it, or the way it would vibrate as she let out those feral screams as she let go for him. He had to fight to keep his eyes and hands off of her that very moment, oblivious to the fact that she felt the same way about him in the fitted polo._

 _"You should wear your hair up more often," he told her, as they left the hospital together, not-so-accidentally bumping into each other as they walked out._

 _"Only if you wear more polos," she said, as she looked up at him with a smirk, before they parted ways on the street. He had followed her with his eyes as she headed towards her cruiser and took a deep breath. He wanted her. No. He needed her. He also needed to add more polo shirts to his wardrobe._

Now Ed was sitting with her, in that same blue polo. He almost chuckled at the clothing choice he made, as he hurried from his upstate hotel room and headed back towards the city once he received that dreaded phone call. He had grabbed the first thing he saw, not realizing it was her favorite shirt of his. Only barely ranking higher than when he had a tie on.

 _"We can order in," he had suggested in her office, keeping his eyes down on the floor for fear he would be caught checking out how amazing she looked in red. "Have it ready by the time we get to your place?"_

 _"Sounds romantic…" she had responded, with that smile that he loved._

 _Ed had finally looked up at her, smiling softly at her and nodding, before punching in their usual order from the local Italian eatery near her apartment._

 _They had barely gotten in the door to her apartment and bid Lucy goodbye, before she had his tie in her hands and was pulling him towards her._

 _"I love you in a tie…but I really love you out of it..." she said, untying it and tossing it on the couch as he just laughed and grasped her hips._

 _"Anything you want, Liv."_

"Please wake up, baby," he whispered, kissing her hand. "Please. I don't remember how to do life without you."

And he really couldn't. Never in his life had Ed Tucker had someone so vehemently believe in him like Olivia Benson did. She was loyal, almost to a fault, but her loyalty and love often overwhelmed Ed. She fought for him like no one ever had.

He reached up to twist her hair in his fingers, remembering back to when he was being set up to take the fall of his cousin…

 _"Ed…" she breathed out, falling right into his arms in the back of a run-down bar he had summoned her to. She seemed almost out of breath, as if she had run the 12 blocks from her office to their meeting place of choice._

 _Not wanting to let go, but knowing they had a lot to discuss, Ed released her and helped her get settled in the booth before they dove right in. As they continued the conversation, Ed saw the pain and fear behind her strong, brown eyes and it nearly broke him._

 _They talked a bit more, Ed gripping her hands more tightly as time went on, almost in a desperate attempt to have her not walk away. Then she got that phone call, and both of their faces fell at the same time._

 _Olivia had squeezed his hand, kissing his fingers, before sliding out of the booth. Ed quickly stood and grabbed her elbow, turning her around and cupping her face as he looked into her eyes._

 _"Olivia…" he whispered, unsure what else to say in that moment. Olivia just leaned forward and kissed him gently._

 _"I know," she whispered. "It's going to be okay, Ed. I believe in you."_

"I believe in you," Ed now said to Olivia, as she continued to sleep through the day. "I believe in you. In us. In our family. You are going to wake up. I just know it."

Ed was resolved to now fight for Olivia. That was their relationship, though. Constant fights and battles to stay together, to persevere through the murky, muddy waters that surrounded both of their lives. Maybe it was their job, maybe it was their past, but likely it was a mixture of both. Either way, their road to being together was complicated and curvy, but they were walking it together, hand-in-hand. And he wasn't walking away anytime soon.

 _"Does anyone in the NYPD care if you live or die?"_

Ed heard that question in his head, remembering back to when Olivia was telling him what happened in the townhouse after she was cleaned up and sent home. He sighed a bit, knowing this wasn't the first time he was terrified of losing Olivia. But last time he had a little more control of the situation, or so he had thought.

 _"LIEUTENANT!" he heard himself yell for her, as the guns went off and she was propelled forward. He was by her side in an instant, sort of in awe that he hadn't yelled out her name. They were fighting to stay professional in that moment, but he threw his hand around her waist in an attempt to hold her up, and squeezed her just lightly enough so she knew that he was there._

 _"I gotcha," he whispered so only she could hear him, and he heard her take a breath before asking about Noah._

Now he was completely at the mercy of a higher power; a god that he prayed to, but wasn't convinced existed. He needed his fiancé to wake up. He needed to look into her eyes again. To tell her how much he loved her. How he couldn't live without her. How Noah needed his mother.

"Liv…" he whispered, his voice full of tears as he ran his fingertips along her arm. "Don't give up on us…on me. Keep fighting."

He just kept watching her face, one hand still running along her arm, and the other hand securely holding hers. That was when he felt it.

A squeeze.

It was light, but it was there. She squeezed his hand. She was there. She was fighting. She was going to wake up.

"I'm here, baby" he said, kissing her hand and watching her face. "I'm right here."

 _They stood together in Central Park, both on a work break and watching Noah chase the pigeons around the fountain. He would giggle as they ran and flew away, but they would always come back for more._

 _Olivia stood next to him with a sad smile, as she piddled with the little sticks in her hand, presumably given to her by her son._

 _"Long week," Ed had said, not quite sure how to get her to open up._

 _"Yeah…" Olivia sighed out, still watching Noah but cutting her eyes towards Ed for a brief moment. "The funny thing is, I've never been happier…"_

 _Her voice cracked at the end of her sentence, punching Ed right in the gut so he quickly grabbed her hips and turned her around, searching her face for any reason to her distress._

 _"Then why are you crying?" he implored, determined to fix whatever it was that was bothering her._

 _"Cuz I'm afraid it won't last…"_

 _There it was, he realized. Finally. She was admitting her fear that what they had was not going to be end game for them. He knew that she was afraid of that, deep down, but she refused to voice it. Maybe now that she had, he could work to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere. That he was hers. For good. Forever._

 _"That's not true," he said softly, his head cocking to the side a bit as he kept his gaze on hers. "Not if I can help it."_

He remembered her smile and her tears, almost as if she were relieved to hear him say those words. That he would fight for her the same way she fought for him. Ed relished in the memory of how they walked through the park, Noah in between, holding their hands and pointing out all the different birds and colors he saw along the way. It was simple. It was easy. It was everything they needed in the midst of a hard road.

 _"Not if I can help it…"_

He heard those words over and over in his head as he kept vigil by her bedside. Watching the snow come down, he looked at the Christmas lights, then he looked back at her face.

 _"Not if I can help it…"_

He couldn't help it. He wasn't there this time. He wasn't in the car. He wasn't even in the same city.

Ed Tucker had promised to do everything he could for Olivia Benson, but it wasn't enough.

His head fell, as a few lone tears began to make their way down his face and his shoulders began to shake.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry, baby."

 _"We've got a good thing going here, the three of us."_

The memories just kept swirling through his mind, as he finally allowed himself the relief of tears. He couldn't stop them, but he didn't want to. Out of his fifty plus years of life, most of his favorite moments were in the last year. All of the time he spent with Olivia. And with Noah. So he surrendered himself to the onslaught of memories, letting his head fall onto her arm as he tried to fight the sobs. She would be okay, he just knew it.

 _"The three of us."_

Feeling another squeeze to his hand, Ed's head shot up and he hopefully searched Olivia's face. He could see a little movement, eyelids twitching slightly, but not opening just yet. So Ed moved one hand to cup her face.

"Hey, Olivia," he whispered. "I'm right here. You're okay. Just open those eyes for me, okay?"

"Mmmmmm," she groaned out, her forehead crinkling into a grimace, but her eyes still not opening.

"I know you're in pain," Ed continued. "But if you'll just open those eyes and wake up for me, we can get you some help with it okay? I'm right here – you are going to be okay. You just gotta wake up, baby…"

"Ed…." She mumbled as she gripped his hand tightly in hers, showing him that she was there but scared of what was going on.

"It's okay. You were in a car accident," he said, watching as she struggled to open her eyes. "But you're okay."

Finally, her eyes opened and she worked to focus on the man in front of her.

"Hey there, baby…" Ed said, his tears beginning to fall again at the sight of her awake.

"Noah?" she rasped, her voice not quite working how she would have liked. But Ed began to fill in the blanks.

"He's at home," Ed assured her. "Lucy had class this afternoon, so my mom's with him and spoiling him rotten."

Olivia just smiled, her eyes becoming more clear as she just stared at her fiancé.

"He brought the tree?"

"Yep," Ed answered, moving his index finger to stroke at her cheek. "He wanted you to have Christmas in your room…"

Olivia just followed his face with her eyes, a look of contentment washing over her, before she took a deep breath.

"Am I okay?" she asked softly, almost as if she wanted to relish in their moment together before he delivered bad news. But he just nodded and smiled.

"You are," he said, sparing her some of the details she didn't need that moment. She was awake and that was all that mattered. "They had to remove your spleen and you lost a lot of blood. But they got you patched up. Just been waiting for you to decide to stop playing Sleeping Beauty on me…"

Olivia let out a little chuckle, before grimacing at the pain.

"Ouch," she said, Ed immediately clutching her hand and reaching for the buzzer.

"Let me get a nurse in here," he said. "They should check you over."

As they settled in together, waiting for the arrival of the nurse, Olivia smiled at Ed and moved her hand to cup his cheek.

"Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"For not leaving my side…"

"Never will," he said, firmly.

"We may have to push Christmas back a few days," she said with a playful tone to it. "I still don't have my shopping done…"

Ed just smiled and kept playing with her fingers and her hair.

"Doesn't matter," he said. "I only had one wish this Christmas, and you just gave it to me."

* * *

 ** _Thoughts? Requests? Leave me some love..._**


	2. Mistletoe

_**Another Holiday One-Shot! This is set about where the show is right now...and it goes out to BreeLovesSVU. It's not exactly what you wanted, but hopefully it will suffice.**_

 _ **Mistakes are mine, characters are not.**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Mistletoe**

"Why we gotta do this every year," Fin grumbled as he hung tacky red garland around a folding table that was set up in the squad room.

"Tradition," Amanda replied, waltzing over after changing into her dark green A-line dress and gold heels. "It's not so bad…"

"Sure," Fin responded, nodding back at her. "You don't think so. But this year…with the tension between Liv and the Chief? It's too bad we can't spike the punch…"

"Maybe he won't come," Rollins suggested, fluffing the sad, tiny Christmas tree she brought in to brighten up the table.

"Yeah, right," Fin said. "Just wait. He's going to come, be all glum, then make another toast just to twist the knife he's already thrown into Liv…"

"This was not her fault," Rollins said firmly, shaking her head.

"I know that. You know that. Hell, even the Chief knows that. But Olivia? She doesn't. And he's taking advantage of that."

"Yeah, but, I mean he lost his son…that's gotta suck," Rollins whispered, looking at Fin who clearly held some contempt in his face for their Chief.

"I know," he agreed. "And it does. But it doesn't mean you treat other people, other _colleagues_ , like shit…"

"This is gonna suck," Rollins muttered, finally done messing with the little table and crossing her arms.

"Look," Carisi said as he brought a stack of paper cups over to where the other two were standing, and spoke softly. "Lieu doesn't want to do this anymore than we do, but it is our turn to host the gathering. So we just gotta put smiles on our faces. For Liv. We'll go for drinks later."

"For Liv," Rollins nodded, and nudged Fin grumbled a bit more before finally agreeing.

"For Liv."

* * *

"Looks great, guys," Olivia said, finally emerging from her office after what must have been one hell of a conference call. They had all dressed a little more festive that day, and Olivia was no exception. The red, long sleeved dress fit her form just right, hitting just above her knees. The v-neck was just high enough to be work-appropriate, but low enough to still turn some heads. Given she didn't have much field work that day, she took a chance and wore black heels with the outfit. Taking her glasses off and placing them on top of her head, she gave her little squad a soft smile.

"We tried," Fin said, shrugging his shoulders. "Rollins over there vetoed my idea of a Grinch theme…"

"Oh come on," Amanda said with an eye roll.

The banter caused Olivia to let out a loud chuckle and shake her head.

"You guys are impossible," she said with a smile. "But thanks for putting this together. I know we aren't much in the mood for it, but maybe we can make the best of it."

"You got it, Lieu," Carisi said with a nod. "Hey, is Captain Tucker gonna stop by? I gotta rib him about his Jets…"

Olivia gave a flat smile and nodded.

"I sent him an invite," she responded. "He will pop in if he's not busy…"

Rollins and Fin eyed each other at that response, before Olivia put a stop to their thoughts.

"Everything's fine," she said shortly. "Now, let's get some work done before everyone arrives with whatever they are bringing…"

With that, Olivia went back into her office, leaving the door cracked, while the other detectives slowly made their way to their seats without firing up their computers.

"You think something's up with her and Tucker?" Carisi asked, rubbing the back of his head a bit. They'd all noticed Olivia had been off for a few weeks. She had dropped some hints about complications with her relationship, but never said anything concrete.

"Hard to tell," Amanda said. "I know he gets Noah from daycare sometimes…so they are clearly together."

"It's gotta be tough," Fin said. "They have a long history, and not all of it is positive."

"Yeah, but you can see how much he cares about her," Carisi said. "Just the way he looks at her, or stands close to her when he's here even for business."

"I know," Fin said with a head shake. "I don't get it, but I'm happy for baby girl. We just gotta convince her it's okay to let herself be happy…"

* * *

"Oh my god, that tie…" Rollins said, bursting into laughter as Barba waltzed into the 1-6 with his casserole dish. The ADA was wearing his normal gray suit, but sporting a red and green tie that had flashing lights on it.

"Yo, Barba," Fin said. "We gonna need to plug you in or what? Cuz I'm short on electrical outlets."

"Ha. Ha," Barba said, sassing back at him. "Very funny. I'm just trying to brighten up the room."

Fin just rolled his eyes and pulled his shades down, trying to get his point across, as Olivia approached them.

"Okay, kids, enough," she said in a teasing tone before turning to Barba and taking his dish. "I hope this is what I think it is…"

"Of course. Empanadas for all," he said, kissing her cheek and following her to the food table before scanning the thickening crowd. "Chief here yet?"

"No," Olivia said softly, turning to him and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Hey," he said, leaning down to catch her eyes and pull them back up. "We've got your back, Liv."

She just gave him a soft smile.

"I know."

"Okay then," Barba said. "As long as you do. Let's get this party started…"

* * *

Ed was standing next to Olivia, his hand lightly on her back, as they cut up with some of the other detectives. He knew she wasn't big on public displays of affection, especially around her squad, but she seemed to be more open to it that evening. Maybe it was the party, or just the fact that she kept eyeing the door in anticipation of Chief Dodds' arrival, but either way, Ed wasn't going to complain. He was proud to be hers and would do whatever she needed in order to feel comfortable.

"Remember that dude with the shrooms?" Fin said before bursting into laughter and looking at Olivia, who was beginning to chuckle and shake her head.

"How could I forget?" she said as she thought back to that moment. "God, that stuff gave me such a headache…"

"The best was Elliot pretending to be high off of it in the courtroom," Fin said, still just howling. "Man I wish we had that on video…"

That finally broke the ice with Olivia and she just cracked up, thinking back to the whole scenario.

"What a head-case that guy was…" she said, looking at Ed with a teasing smile. "See what you missed being all Mr. IAB?"

"I do regret not being able to make fun of Stabler for that one…" he deadpanned, giving her a side smirk. He loved how relaxed she could be now at the mention of her old partner. He knew they had spoken a few times and tried to clear the air, but really she had just moved on. She didn't tense up at every mention, and was able to look back on things fondly. He'd like to think he had something to do with that, and she told him as much, but he also knew time was likely her best friend when it came to healing that wound.

Just then, the room got quiet as the detectives saw Chief Dodds stroll in with a few of his colleagues. His face was hardened, but he managed to shake a few hands as he made his way through the crowd.

Ed immediately felt Olivia stiffen, so he rubbed at her back a bit before leaning over a bit closer to whisper in her ear.

"I'm right here," he said. "It's okay."

She just nodded her thanks, looking at him briefly, before steeling herself for the inevitable confrontation as Dodds approached their little circle.

"Place looks nice," he said, acknowledging the light decorations that were scattered throughout. "Thanks for hosting this year…"

"Our pleasure," Olivia said in her best, professional tone. "Hope you enjoy yourself."

Dodds just nodded, giving her an odd look, before heading to the beverage table and pretending to strike up a conversation with a few of the desk clerks from downstairs.

Olivia let out a sigh and turned to Ed.

"I'm going to run to the restroom," she said, kissing his cheek lightly and surprising him. "I'll be right back."

His eyes followed her as she walked out of the squad room, before turning back to the detectives in front of her.

"Rough day?" he asked. "Or is that purely a reaction from Dodds?"

"I think it's just Dodds…" Carisi answered honestly. "It's been quiet here, work wise."

Ed just sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I was afraid of that," he said, watching the doorway in anticipation of her return.

* * *

A couple hours later, the crowd had dwindled and Ed threw away the last of the cups that were left scattered around the 1-6. He noticed the detectives all reaching for their coats and bags, and stuffed his hands in his pockets, unsure of his next move. Did he bid them goodbye? Wait for an invite to their after party?

Luckily, Olivia came breezing out of her office and spared him the thought.

"You're coming, right?" She asked, pulling her hair from the back of her jacket and locked her office door. "I think we are headed to The Arrow, just around the corner."

"Absolutely," he nodded, walking over and taking her shopping bag that had leftovers in it. "I'll put this in the car on the way down."

Carisi and Rollins just smirked at each other as they watched the couple walk out, Ed's hand resting on the small of her back.

"Oh cut it out, you two," Fin said, rolling his eyes and heading towards the elevator with the bunch.

The walk was short, but quiet as the squad was clearly lost in thought. Dodds, of course, had made a small speech and had everyone toast his son. Ed remained stoic by Olivia's side throughout, but to anyone outside the squad, she would've come across as just fine.

Once they were inside, Carisi claimed them a high-top table and Ed joined Fin to order their drinks as they were both arguing over who was buying the first round.

"I'm glad Captain Tucker made it," Carisi said, looking at Liv.

"Me too," she smiled at the younger detective fondly. "It was nice to have his support…"

The other men returned shortly with their drinks, and passed them around. Ed cleared his throat and lifted his bourbon up, preparing to toast. The squad eyed each other and followed suit, Olivia particularly nervous about what he was planning to say.

"Just wanted to say…thanks for including me in your group this year," he said, voice gruff but sincere. "It's meant a lot to both me and Liv that you have accepted me, albeit warily."

Fin let out a chuckle, but then genuinely smiled at the man, raising his glass a bit higher.

"Yeah, well, you earned it," he quipped, causing a few more chuckles before Ed continued.

"I just…well," he said, stuttering a bit. Olivia took her free hand and rubbed his arm a bit to encourage him. "I'm just glad Olivia has such a wonderful, supportive squad behind her. So. This is for the Special Victims Unit, and its wonderful detectives."

They all clanked glasses, repeating Ed's toast and also thanking him before sipping their drinks and beginning small talk.

"What did you end up getting Noah for Christmas?" Amanda asked, as Fin, Carisi, and Ed started throwing darts at the board right by their table.

"Gosh," Olivia said, shaking her head. "What didn't I get him? I told myself I wouldn't go crazy, but then he wrote a letter to Santa at daycare and it was just so cute…so I went a little nuts."

Rollins just laughed and nodded her head.

"I'm so glad Jesse isn't talking yet," she said. "I went nuts, and she can't even ask for stuff yet!"

"It's amazing, isn't it," Olivia said, her eyes full of love and happiness as she thought about her son. "You have this idea of what kind of parent you will be, but really…you just end up being putty in their hands."

"Well, especially with a little guy as cute as Noah," Amanda replied, taking a big gulp of her wine. "I bet Tucker got him stuff, too."

"Oh yes," Olivia said. "Noah will not want for anything for the next, oh, ten years."

The women let out a laugh and then turned to where the guys were having a playful argument about the rules of darts.

"Pretty sure if you knock your own dart off, it doesn't count for points," Fin said, look pointedly at Ed who had apparently knocked his bullseye off, with another bullseye.

"That's bull shit, Tutuola," he said, playfully but matter-of-factly. "I already got those points, now I get these."

"You just don't wanna lose to Tucker," Carisi said, snickering as he tallied up their points that round. Fin just grumbled, grabbing the darts, and heading over the the table.

"I need a refill…" he said, grabbing his glass and heading to the bar. Ed just sauntered over with Carisi, beaming with pride.

"It's fun to ruffle his feathers," Ed said to the table, as they all laughed. Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Please don't piss off my sergeant," she said lovingly, and rested her head on Ed's shoulder. He was still surprised at how close she had been that evening. First it was the kiss on the cheek in the squad room, then it was how she allowed him to keep a hand on her back, and now she was resting on him at a bar with her squad. Not that he was upset about it, but given their recent rocky patch, he was surprised she was that comfortable around the gang.

Ed just decided to roll with it, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her head.

"You want another?" he asked, eyeing her empty bourbon glass. She just nodded and handed it over.

"One of whatever you get," she said, almost out of habit, then turned back to the chatter at the table.

Carisi, though involved in the conversation, had been watching his Lieutenant's body language shift throughout the entire night. She went from nervous before the gathering started, to relieved once Ed had shown up, to tense upon the arrival of Dodds. Then, of course, there was the sadness that marred her features as the Chief once again brought up the death of his son. But now, she was relaxed. There was still some sadness to her, but she seemed genuinely comfortable and relaxed being around both the squad and her boyfriend.

It was no secret that Carisi really liked Tucker. In fact, it was the running joke of the squad that the man would genuinely try to suck up to the Captain whenever he was around. But the truth to it, was that he had this feeling that Ed was it for Olivia Benson. And Carisi was loyal, but especially to Lieutenant Benson. He wanted her to be happy. So he was making it his mission to get to know Tucker, and make sure he did his part to make their relationship work.

As Ed returned to the table, Carisi scanned the room and that was when he noticed the decorations all over the ceiling of the darkened bar. His smile grew as he eyed the Lieutenant and the Captain sipping their drinks, and he waited for them to notice everyone was looking at them.

"What?" Olivia said, finally looking away from Ed and seeing that Fin, Amanda, and Sonny were smirking at them. "What is it?"

Ed put his drink down and wiped his hands nervously on his pants, but his girlfriend just put her hands on her hips in frustration.

Finally, Carisi raised an eyebrow and pointed up, causing the entire table to look above them. And that was when they finally noticed it.

They were sitting at the only table in that bar that had mistletoe above it.

Olivia just let out a chuckle and shook her head, sipping her bourbon and looking at each detective.

"Am I to assume you are both going to kiss Rollins?" She asked, teasingly, knowing what they were after and not letting them attain it that easily.

"Oh, hell no," Amanda said, almost spitting out her drink. "Uh uh. Forget it. That's for you two love birds to do, not me…"

Ed just laughed, pulling Olivia into his side and looking down at her with a fondness that made her heart flutter. He tipped her chin up, so she was looking up at him and he smirked.

"I mean…that is the rule," he said quietly, searching her eyes to make sure she was okay with him initiating this. The last thing he ever wanted to do was make her uncomfortable, but he was pretty sure that he was seeing a greenlight.

"I suppose so," she said softly, her brown eyes sparkling and her lips curling a bit. Never in a million years would she have guessed she would be comfortable with this kind of display, but there was something about being with Ed and having him get along with her squad, that finally had her at peace. Ed Tucker was it for her, and it was time she let people know that. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"

At that, Ed leaned down and captured her lips. It was tender but deep, as he very quickly swiped his tongue over her bottom lip before pulling away and nibbling a bit at it.

Hearing the squad clapping and cheering, Olivia pulled back and ducked her head as pink flooded her cheeks, but her face wore a smile. Ed leaned over to kiss her forehead and pull her back into his side as he eyed her detectives, all wearing goofy grins.

"Happy?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and giving them a look. Fin just smirked.

"Well Carisi is," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a twenty-dollar bill. "He just won a bet…"

"Well then, he can buy the next round," Olivia quipped, eyebrow raised as she realized her squad had a bet on her kissing Tucker.

"That's my girl," Ed said, relieved to see her returning to her sassy self.

"I am your girl, huh?"

"Always will be," he responded, keeping her close as Carisi came back with refills and they raised their glasses one more time.

"Merry Christmas, guys," he said, and they all joined in to clink glasses and toast together.

"Merry Christmas!"

* * *

 ** _Up next: Noah goes to visit Santa._**

 ** _Leave a review and let me know if you have a holiday request!_**


	3. Noah's List

_**Reminder: All of these are one-shots that exist separately from each other. That being said, this is likely set right around current time with the show.**_

 _ **Also, while I plan to add to this collection through the New Year, you will not always get a daily update. Work is just slower than usual right now, so I have some free time.**_

 _ **Now...to get on with what I'm sure you are all wanting right now...**_

 _ **Mistakes are mine. Characters are not. SVU writers are welcome to steal this. I don't even need credit...**_

* * *

 **Noah's List**

"Okay, sweet Noah," Olivia said, squatting down so she was eye level with her three-year-old son. They had been waiting in line to see Santa for the past twenty minutes and though Noah had been very well-behaved, he was getting antsy and maybe a little nervous. "We are next. You ready?"

"I ready, Mommy," he said, clutching the red and green letter he made at daycare a few days prior. "Santa nice?"

"He's very nice, baby," Olivia assured him and stroked his head. "But Mommy will be right there too, okay?"

"Otay," he said softly, bouncing a bit on his heels. "Gotta tell Santa I be a very good boy. So he give me my list."

Olivia just chuckled and pulled him in for a hug, kissing his head and closing her eyes for a bit.

"Oh, baby, you are a very good boy," she said. "I love you so much."

"Lub you too, Mommy," he said, before squirming out of her grasp. "But I gotta go meet Santa now."

Suddenly feeling more confident, Noah Porter Benson walked happily up to the jolly old bearded man who was donning a red suit with arms open and a smile on his face.

"Ho Ho Ho!" he said, loudly and happily, hoisting Noah onto his lap and touching his nose. "And who do we have here?"

"I Noah Benson," the little boy responded, in almost a whisper, as he looked at Santa in awe. "And dis my Mommy."

"Well hello there, Mommy Benson," Santa said, almost overly jolly. "Mister Noah, have you been a good boy this year?"

Olivia stood next to the Santa, her face growing into a large, goofy grin as she watched her son softly speak with Santa.

"Yes, I good boy," he said, nodding his head. "I pick up all my toys and I chew wiff my mouff closed, like Mommy say."

Santa let out a hearty chuckle and tapped the boy's nose again.

"Well, it sure sounds like you are worthy of some toys this year. What would you like me to bring you for Christmas?"

Noah, still tightly holding his letter, lifted it up for Santa to see and reluctantly handed it over.

"I maked this in daycare, Santa. It my list."

Santa took the list and admired it.

"This looks very nice, Noah," he said, carefully opening it. "Let's read it together."

"Otay!" Noah said, clapping a bit and bouncing on Santa's lap. Olivia pulled her phone out to take some pictures and video, as Noah appeared to be totally comfortable now.

"Let's see…." Santa said, scratching his beard and reading the list. "A police car WITH sirens, eh?"

"Yes." Noah nodded. "Mommy loo-tent in the po-lice. So I need car too."

"Ah, a Lieutenant, huh?" Santa said, looking up at Olivia. "Well, thank you very much for what you do to keep our city safe."

Olivia just smiled and nodded, never quite sure how to respond to those comments. But they still meant a lot, despite her lack of comment.

"I bet we can handle a police car with sirens," Santa said, continuing down the list. "Minions movie…now that's a funny movie, Noah."

"Uh huh," he responded, giggling a bit. "Dey funny, Santa. Silly Minions."

Santa let out a chuckle at the little boy and looked down at him.

"Very silly. I don't suppose you are silly, are you Noah?"

Noah looked up at him with a little smirk, then he looked at his mommy.

"I silly," he said. "Mommy silly too. And Cap'n. He very silly."

"Captain, huh?" Santa asked.

"Yep. He my Cap'n," Noah explained. "I lub him."

Olivia's heart constricted a bit as she listened to her son talk about her boyfriend. Her and Ed had been having some rough patches recently, given her job demands and his new assignment. They were struggling to make it work and spend enough time together, and Noah had very much been affected by the absence of Ed. But Olivia hadn't realized how much until his comment just then.

Her son loved Ed Tucker. She loved Ed Tucker too, but hearing the words from Noah made her resolve even more to make this work. If for no other reason, then for her son to have the stability of a grown up relationship in his life.

"Well, it sounds like you are a lucky little boy, Noah," Santa said, eyeing Olivia, before turning his attention back to his list. "Now, what else do we have on here."

Olivia stood, taking deep breaths and listening to Noah tell Santa all the things he had put on his list. The letter needed interpretation, because it was mainly drawings, but this Santa must have been fully vetted. He was so patient and enthusiastic. After a long wait in line, Olivia suddenly appreciated how this Santa would take his time with each individual kid. He was making Noah feel so special, and that just warmed her heart like nothing else could.

"Well, Lieutenant Mommy," Santa said, with a twinkle in his eye. "Come sit on this knee and let's get a family picture."

Olivia smiled, almost shyly, and did as she was told. The trio looked at the camera, all with big smiles on their faces as the elf snapped a few shots.

"Noah, would you like a candy cane?" Santa asked, as Olivia stood and he reached for his basket of goodies.

Noah nodded enthusiastically and carefully selected the green one, before holding it up to Olivia.

"Lookit, Mommy! I get candy!"

"You sure did, sweet boy," Olivia said, getting ready to scoop him up and away. But apparently Noah had other plans.

"Santa?" He asked, as he climbed down and stood in front of him, with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Yes, Noah?" Santa asked, bending down a bit and furrowing his brow in concentration as to what the little boy had to say.

"I have one more ting on my list," he said softly. "Is dat otay? Can I ask for one more ting?"

Santa put his hand on his heart, as if it was melting, and smiled at the boy.

"Of course," he said. "It sounds very important."

"Yes," he said, nodded hard. "Im-po-tant."

"Well, then. You better tell me what it is, so I can let my elves know to get to work."

Noah put his head down, taking a breath, before looking up at Santa and speaking.

"I want Cap'n to be my Daddy."

* * *

Once the duo was back home, Noah had gone down for a nap and Olivia had quickly opened up the liquor cabinet and poured herself a bourbon.

 _"I want Cap'n to be my Daddy."_

Noah's voice, and his face, were cemented into Olivia's mind as she downed the brown liquid and rested her hands on the counter, her head falling forward a bit.

Her son wanted a father. More specifically, he wanted Ed Tucker to be his father.

If she were honest with herself, she wanted that as well. But she was still fighting an inner battle with herself, wondering if she really deserved that. But hearing Noah's little request finally made her realize it wasn't just about her anymore. It was about her son. Everything was about her son.

She quickly shot Ed a text, asking if he wanted to come for dinner later. Within minutes he responded with confirmation he would be there, and he would pick up Chinese on the way.

Olivia just took a deep breath and decided to distract herself with work until Noah woke up. Walking to the dining table, she opened her laptop and logged on, but the plan didn't work. She found herself staring at the background photo: Her, Ed, and Noah on a random street in Paris. Ed was holding Noah, both of them smiling for the camera, while Olivia was looking up at both of them with a smile on her face. She kept staring at the photo, her heart speeding up and her breaths getting shorter.

 _"I want Cap'n to be my Daddy."_

A lone tear made its way down her face, as she thought back to all the times Ed had proven to her that he was in this for the long haul. That he would do anything she asked of him.

 _"I'm not going anywhere."_

 _"That's not true, not if I can help it."_

She knew that Ed was ready to propose to her. In fact, she had suspected that he already had the ring and had planned on proposing several months ago as they walked along the pier after Dodds' death. But they both knew that she wasn't in the right head space then. She was still reeling from the trauma of that loss, and trying to keep her unit together. So Ed held off, but every now and then the question would come up – was she ready for that step.

Maybe now she was.

* * *

"Cap'n!" Noah yelled, hopping up from his train set and rushing towards Ed as he entered the Benson household having used his own key.

"Noah!" Ed said, putting the bag of food down and hoisting the boy up into the air as he giggled.

"You bring cookie?" he asked, looking up at his friend with mischief in his eyes. Ed just put his finger to his mouth.

"Shhh," he whispered. "I brought two."

Noah's eyes widened, as his little hands covered his mouth to stifle the laughter.

"You da best."

Ed responded by kissing his cheek and then put him down, before making his way to Olivia who had stood up and was smiling at the scene.

"You spoil him," she said, walking to his arms and kissing his lips briefly as he swayed them back and forth.

"I can't help it," he said with a small grin.

"I love it," she responded, kissing him one more time then pulling away and walking to get the food from where he left it by the door. "You get the usual?"

"Yep," he said. "Real plates or paper?"

"Paper. I don't feel like doing dishes tonight."

"Perfect," Ed said, grabbing the paper plates and bringing everything to the coffee table. The three of them settled on the floor around the table, with Christmas music softly playing in the background. The twinkle of the tree lights bounced around the room, causing the scene to be just perfect.

"I sawed Santa today," Noah said, after swallowing a bit of his cut up lo mein. "He da REAL Santa."

"You saw the real Santa?" Ed asked, with a surprised expression on his face. "Wow…"

Noah just nodded, taking another bite and chewing carefully.

"Uh huh," he said. "I gived him my list."

"You still want the police car?" Ed asked, knowing the little boy's list by heart at this point as he had been helping Olivia track down certain items.

"Yep," he said. "Wiff da sirens."

"What else did you ask for?" Ed asked, noticing Olivia seemed to tense up as the conversation progressed. He shot her a confused look, but she just kept her eyes on her food as she ate so Ed turned his focus back to Noah. He could ask her what was bothering her later that night.

Noah went on, explaining his written list to Ed and apparently decided to leave out his last little request.

"Oh!" he said, his eyes widening. "Den I get a GREEN candy cane! I show you."

Noah hopped up and ran back to his room before Olivia could stop him, so she just smiled and put her fork down as her eyes settled on Ed.

"Where did you go just now?" He asked, reaching over for her hand and kissing it lightly.

Olivia just took a deep breath, and decided to explain before Noah blurted it out.

"Before we left, Noah stopped to ask Santa for one more thing. Something he hadn't put on his list," she began, biting her bottom lip and forcing herself to keep her brown eyes locked on Ed's blue ones.

"Oh boy," Ed breathed out, afraid of what was coming.

"He asked Santa for you to be his Daddy…" Olivia said, her voice cracking at the end and tears filling her eyes. Ed just looked at her, his expression was stoic but she could see the elation forming in his eyes.

"Wow…"

"Yeah…"

"How are you feeling about that now?" he asked, knowing that this was a hard topic for her to approach. But given that Noah was now involved, maybe he could get her to open up a bit more.

"I..." she began, as a tear made its way down her cheek. Ed immediately scooted closer and wiped it away, leaving his hand on her cheek.

"Olivia," he said. "I'm not trying to pressure you. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. We can talk to Noah about me just being Captain, if that's what you want."

"Ed…."

"No," he said putting his other hand to her cheek so he had her face cupped as he stared into her teary brown eyes. "There is _no_ pressure here. You know how I feel about it. I'm ready, but I will wait for you forever if I have to…"

"I don't want you to…" she whispered, her voice full of emotion.

Ed's heart snapped in two.

"What?"

"No," she quickly said, putting his mind at ease. "I mean; I don't want you to have to wait for me. I think I'm ready…"

"Liv…" he whispered, trying to quell his excitement but it was hard. "Are you saying what I think you are?"

She just gave him a small smile and reached up to take his hands off of her face and hold them tightly in her own.

"I want to give my son everything he has ever wanted," she said. "He deserves as much."

"You do, too," Ed said, a small smile forming on his face as he moved closer, getting ready to kiss his soon to be fiancé, but a certain three-year-old had other ideas.

"CAP'N!" Noah yelled, running back out into the living room, triumphantly holding his green candy cane. "See? Mommy say I hafta wait til after dinner."

"Well, then you better finish up your food," Ed said, leaning over to spear some broccoli on the fork and feed it to the boy.

* * *

A couple hours later found the trio finishing up ice cream sundaes, and settling onto the couch to watch Frosty the Snowman before Noah went to bed. As Olivia stood near the TV and flipped around on the remote to find the recording, Ed leaned over and whispered something to Noah.

The little boy nodded at him seriously, then climbed down from the couch and ran over to the closet to dig into Ed's jacket.

"Noah," Olivia called. "What are you doing? Don't go through Captain's things without asking."

"He told me too, Mommy," Noah said, continuing his mission and climbing into the closet to reach the other pocket. Finally, he retrieved small box and ran back towards Ed.

"I finded it, Cap'n!" he yelled, handing him the box and climbing into his lap. "I ready!"

Olivia finally turned around from where she was standing by the tree, still fiddling with the remote and let out a gasp.

Ed and Noah were sitting on the couch, looking at her with big grins, and holding a wooden box with a diamond ring in it.

"Ed…" she said, her hand over her heart. This was awfully fast considering she just admitted she was ready about two hours ago. But the look on both her boys' faces was almost too much to handle. They were adorable together.

"Olivia," Ed began. "I'm not going to go into some emotional speech, because you know how I feel. But, I need to tell you…again…just how much I love you."

"Yep, me too," Noah chimed in, causing the adults to chuckle in the midst of the heavy moment. "I lub you bery much, Mommy."

Ed just kissed the boy's cheek and kept going with his short lead in.

"I want to give you everything you've ever wanted. Everything you've ever deserved. And I want to do the same for Noah."

He paused a bit, to let the words sink in, before lifting Noah up and getting down on one knee by the Christmas Tree.

Noah, not wanting to be left out, ran up beside him and continued to help hold the box as he looked up at his mother with a grin.

"Olivia Margaret Benson, will you marry me?"

Olivia just smiled as the tears began to run down her cheeks. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't overly romantic, but it was perfect. It was everything she wanted, so she just nodded her head as she tried to get a word out.

"Yes," she finally squeaked out. "Yes, I will marry you."

Ed just smiled and quietly helped Noah get the ring out, as both of the boys slipped the diamond onto Olivia's left hand.

Ed lifted it to his mouth and kissed each finger slowly as Olivia fell to her knees in front of him and put a hand on each of her boy's cheeks.

"I love you two so much," she said. "My little family."

Ed just smiled as Noah got a thoughtful pucker to his face.

"Dis mean Cap'n be my Daddy now?" he asked, looking back and forth between Ed and Olivia. The adults eyed each other, and Ed signaled that it was up to her. So Olivia just smiled at Noah and nodded her head.

"That's right, sweet boy," she said. "Captain can be your daddy, if that's what you want?"

"Uh huh," Noah said, nodding hard. "It da best."

"Then I guess it's official," Ed said, sitting back and pulling both Olivia and Noah to situate on his lap by the Christmas tree. "We are officially a family."

Olivia just smiled and settled her head into Ed's neck as Noah stared up at the Santa Claus ornament on their Christmas tree with a big smile.

"Dat was fast, Santa," he said. "Now don't forget my po-lice car."

* * *

 ** _Well? What should be my next project? Review, please..._**


	4. A Christmas Surprise

_**Okay, lovelies. You asked, and I have delivered. This is ONLY a one-shot. There will be no follow up. But many of you have been so loyal with my other stories, that I thought I'd give you a little Christmas Surprise...**_

 _ **Liv4Tuck2016 and TucksonFan, this is for you.**_

* * *

 **A Christmas Surprise**

"Baby, you okay?" Ed asked as he watched his wife sway a little bit while hanging ornaments on the tree. Her coloring had been off all morning, and if he were honest with himself, she hadn't been herself for the last couple of weeks.

Immediately rushing over to her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and carefully guided her over to the couch, collapsing them both on it. He watched as she laid her head on the back of the cushion and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just…dizzy."

"Okay," he said, lightly playing with her hair and grasping her hand. "Just stay still and it will pass."

"This keeps happening," she said softly, opening her eyes and looking into his baby blue ones.

"I know," he whispered, leaning over to kiss her temple. "I think it is time you made a doctor's appointment."

"I…" she said, her voice full of sadness. "I know. I'm sure it's finally that time, and my body is going through 'the change'. But…"

"But what?" he asked, patiently sitting next to her and letting her come to terms with what was going on.

"Well," she said. "It's just sometimes hard to think about how permanent this is. I know I'm not young, but I'm not even fifty, Ed."

"Hey," he said, moving his finger to her chin and turning her head. "Look at me, baby."

She looked up, tired brown eyes full of the fear and resignation to the fact her body was going to change.

"I love you," he said, kissing her nose softly. "And I'm right here, by your side, no matter what."

Olivia gave him a soft smile and leaned up to kiss his lips, softly at first, but it turned deep. Shifting her body so that she was straddling him on the couch, she pulled away and looked down at him. Her hair was falling around her face, her lips were a tad swollen from their recent kiss, and her eyes had a fire about them that he recognized all too well.

"Decorating can wait," she said, breathlessly. "I want you…now."

* * *

Ed Tucker sat at his desk the next day, tapping his pen on the pad of paper in front of him, as he let his mind wander to his wife. When he left her that morning, she was slowly getting up and beginning to get ready for her appointment. He could see the exhaustion and resignation on her face, and it broke his heart.

They had talked extensively about expanding their family. Noah was the light of their lives, and they knew that they had enough love for another child, but it wasn't always that easy. Adoption agencies were hesitant to approve two NYPD officers, given the risky nature of their jobs. They hadn't been turned down, but they also weren't getting any matches. Their next step had been to look overseas, and that yielded more promise, but it was so expensive. Eventually, they decided that they were happy with just having one kid, and they poured all of their love into him.

But now as he sat at his desk, thinking of that look on her face, he knew that she was still thinking about it, and it was like one more door was closing in her face. She was continuing on with the stiff upper lip, but he knew she was hurting. So he decided that he would do his own research and try to figure out how to make this a little easier.

Closing his office door, he phoned out to his secretary and asked her to hold his calls unless it was an emergency. He then got to work, pulling up every article he could find about supporting one's wife through menopause. The more he read, the more he began to feel his own sadness. Ed had officially adopted Noah several months after he and Olivia tied the knot, and that was everything to him. He finally was a father. He had a little boy who called him "Daddy", wanted to throw a football, play tag, and cuddle at night. After 48 years of life, he had all but given up on the idea of having his own family. Until he met Olivia. Now, Ed sat at his desk and envisioned himself putting together a crib, fighting to attach a car seat into the back of his SUV, or running out for 2am tacos because a pregnant Olivia wanted them. But he needed to snap out of it. Sure, a baby with Olivia would have been amazing, but what they had was enough. They had each other, and they had the perfect son. Their family was complete, so it was time to shift his thinking.

Looking back at the computer screen, he found an article titled "Helping Your Spouse Through Menopause". He hit print, grabbed his reading glasses, and dove in.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an uptown OBGYN office, Olivia Benson-Tucker laid back on the uncomfortable exam table and waited for the doctor to return with whatever tests she had run. Upon arrival, the nurse had asked what brought her in and Olivia almost broke down into tears as she explained that she felt she was in the early stages of menopause.

 _Get it together, Olivia_ , she had thought to herself. She was not expecting the wave of emotion to run through her as she sat in the little office and looked around. But the finality of no longer having that option to bear a child, whether they were trying or not, was harder than she had anticipated.

She had all but given up on ever being a mother until she found Noah in that drawer one day. All of a sudden, all of those dreams came rushing to the front of her brain and she found herself going to see him daily, so he wouldn't be alone.

Fast forward to a few months ago, when they sat in Judge Linden's chambers as Ed signed the adoption papers, she finally had everything she wanted. A husband who loved her and protected her, and a son who was bubbly, energetic, and so sweet.

So why wasn't that enough for her?

It was, she told herself. It was plenty. She had more love in her life than she had ever wanted, and so she smiled to herself as she leaned her head back onto the pillow and prepared for the news from the doctor.

Yes, Olivia Benson-Tucker's life was happy and complete, no matter what she was about to hear.

* * *

"Okay, Mrs. Tucker," Dr. Michaels said happily, as she made her way into the room and rolled the stool so she was sitting next to the exam table. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Olivia said with a little laugh, wiping a lone tear from her eye as she pulled herself from her thoughts and focused on the doctor. "Ready for you to just rip the band aid, so I can figure out how to deal with this."

"Olivia, what do you think you are dealing with here?" the doctor asked softly, having known Olivia for years.

"Pre-menopause," she said with a little laugh. "And, well, I always thought that came later in your fifties, but I suppose it was wishful thinking on my part…"

"Liv…" Dr. Michaels tried to stop her, but her patient was still going.

"And it's hard to come into an exam room with diagrams of all the stages of pregnancy, and know that I will never get to experience that…"

"Olivia…"

"No, no, I don't mean anything by that. You have them there for a reason, it's just hard. I'm trying to be satisfied with my life, and I am. I _love_ my life. But it's hard to think that there is now zero chance for me to ever be pregnant…"

"You are," Dr. Michaels finally said, hoping to stop the poor woman before she dissolved into a fit of tears, but it was clear Olivia didn't quite hear her.

"It's fine though," she said. "Noah is just perfect and getting bigger each day, and I'm sure at our age, chasing a second child around would wear on Ed and I…"

"OLIVIA," Dr. Michaels finally said, with a smile on her face, as Olivia finally stopped to look at her.

"Wait, what did you say earlier?" She asked, her eyes scrunched up in confusion.

"Olivia," the doctor began, slowly and clearly so that maybe her words would sink in. "We got your blood results back. You are pregnant."

Both women just stared at each other, Olivia's mouth opening and closing, as if she wanted to say something but didn't have the words.

"This better not be some cruel joke…" she finally whispered out, her voice hoarse with the onslaught of emotion that was barreling her way.

"Not a joke," Dr. Michaels said, reaching out to take her hand. "The blood tests are as reliable as they come. You, Olivia Tucker, are pregnant. And I'd like to go ahead and do a sonogram, so we can figure out how far along."

"I'm….I'm pregnant," Olivia whispered, as if she were telling herself. Finally, a big smile came across her face as her one hand immediately went to her stomach. "Oh my god…"

Dr. Michaels laughed a bit and shook her head.

"I didn't think you would ever let me actually tell you!"

"I just…" Olivia said, shaking her head a bit, still smiling but looking at the doctor with questioning eyes. "Are you sure? I came in here prepared for you to tell me I'm in menopause, but instead…I'm pregnant?"

"Yep," she said, as a nurse knocked and entered with the sonogram machine. "And I am going to show you right now."

"Oh my god," Olivia thought to herself, as she settled back on the bed and let them get her ready for her sonogram. She had a billion questions for the doctor: could she have a healthy pregnancy? Would the baby be healthy? How was this going to play out? But at that moment, all she could do was smile and stare at the black and white screen as a tiny little blob came into view.

"A baby…"

* * *

Now on her way home, Olivia found herself wandering down 5th Avenue and lost in thought. Ed had texted and called about a dozen times, and she finally sent off a message telling him she was fine and on her way home.

"I'll meet you there in an hour," he had immediately responded and she just chuckled. The man had no idea what was coming.

Now she just needed to figure out how to tell him. She stopped by one of the holiday window displays, and was drawn to the Christmas Tree they had set up. All of the ornaments were photos of children.

 _Must be a family tree_ , she thought to herself. And that was when it dawned on her. With a growing smile, Olivia scurried into the store and dug for the black and white photos she now had in her wallet. Hopefully the store could make quick work on something for her.

* * *

Later that night, after Noah was tucked away in bed, Ed and Olivia were cuddled up on the couch and looking at the twinkling lights of their now completed Christmas Tree. Soft, instrumental holiday tunes played in the background as the couple just enjoyed each other and the scene in front of them.

Ed took a breath and buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent and building up the courage to ask her again about the doctor's appointment. She had given him a little information once he got home, but was oddly silent about it. Assuming she just needed time to process, he let her be and went about hanging out with Noah and making dinner. But now, as it was quiet again, he needed to know.

"You ready to tell me now?" He asked softly, twirling her hair in his fingers and looking down at the top of her head as she rested against him.

"I'll be right back," she said, standing up and kissing him gently with a smirk on her face. His eyes followed her as she sauntered to the back bedroom, returning a few minutes later with a tiny box. "Thought we needed one more ornament for the tree, so I grabbed this on my way home. Wanna do the honors?"

Ed just looked at her, a little confused but also entertained at the lengths she was going to avoid the question he had for her. Deciding to play along for now, he grinned at her and stood up to take the box, using the opportunity to pull her flush against him and kiss her. It was short, but deep, leaving her breathless and Ed pulled away to open the box, turning to face the tree with Olivia right next to him, watching his every move.

His heart stopped once the ornament fell out and he got a good look at it. Blue eyes stared at the black and white photo in the ornament with the words **_"Baby Tucker, Arriving in July"_** for several minutes, as Olivia watched and hoped that his reaction was one of happiness and not anger.

"Olivia?" he finally asked, turning his head as their eyes finally met for the first time since they both found out about their little gift. Ed's blue eyes were shining with unshed tears, but they were also twinkling. "You're….We're…."

Olivia just nodded, biting her bottom lip as a few happy tears made their way down her cheeks.

"Yep," she said, having trouble forming words in this moment.

"Oh my god," Ed said, his face crinkling into the biggest smile she had ever seen. He hastily threw the ornament on the tree and turned to pull her into him, kissing her with everything he had in him, lifting her feet off the ground momentarily as he devoured her.

Finally pulling away, he rested his forehead against hers as their eyes met and locked on each other.

"A baby?" he asked, his voice soft but happy. Olivia just nodded.

"A baby."

They stayed like that a bit longer, before all of a sudden Ed kicked into gear. He quickly ushered his wife over to the sofa and got her settled, covering her with a soft throw, and lifting her feet onto the coffee table.

"You gotta rest," he said quickly, as she looked at him with utter amusement. Scurrying over to the tree, he quickly fixed the ornament he had thrown so it was front and center, and then made his way into the kitchen, talking over his shoulder.

"I'm gonna make you some tea," he said. "Do you need food? Are you hungry? Is the baby hungry?"

"Ed, I'm fine," she chuckled, completely amused by his complete one-eighty.

"I know, but you are eating for two now," she heard him say as he opened and closed cabinets. "Do we not have decaf tea in the apartment? I'll go get some…"

He walked towards the foyer as Olivia just laughed on the couch.

"Ed!" she finally said loudly enough to get his attention. His head snapped over and he rushed to her side, perching on the couch and looking at her.

"What? Are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked. Olivia just rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine, baby," she said. "It's going to be a long seven months if you stay this keyed up…"

Ed finally took a breath, realized how he had somewhat freaked out, and began to laugh. His forehead met Olivia's, as they chuckled together.

"A baby…" he finally whispered again, once they had regained control over themselves and settled into the moment.

Falling back onto the cushions of the couch, Ed stretched his legs out in front of him and pulled Olivia to where she was resting on top of his chest. He played with her hair as they went back to gazing at the light of the tree, the sonogram picture front and center.

"A baby," she whispered, rubbing his chest with her hand.

Ed kissed at her head, as he pulled her as tight as he possibly could.

"I love you," he whispered, before moving his hand to her stomach. "And I love you too, little one."

* * *

 ** _Well? Up next we might get a little angsty again, but leave me a review in the meantime._**

 ** _#Tuckson #Always #Endgame_**


	5. Home for Christmas, Part One

_**Your next dose of Holiday Goodness comes in the form of a two-shotter. Set back in TucksoNoahLie land, the Tuckers finally moved out of the city and are getting ready to celebrate their first Christmas in their new house. But will it be a Merry one, or a Blue one?**_

 _ **Let's find out...**_

* * *

 **Home For Christmas, Part One**

"When is Dad supposed to get home?" Charlie asked, as she put the last tray of gingerbread cookies in the oven and went to wash her hands. Her and Olivia had been baking up a storm since about 6am, in preparation for their first, big Christmas Eve celebration in their new house.

Life had really eased up for the Tucker clan. They purchased a house out in Sag Harbor that was almost a split design. Extra-large living areas in the middle, along with a spacious kitchen and dining room. On both sides of that, though, were two large bedrooms and a bathroom. It was perfect for their little family, allowing Charlie and Lizzie to have their own space separate from Ed, Olivia, and Noah.

Life outside of the city was different for the seasoned couple, but they seemed to settle in well. Olivia enjoyed being able to watch Noah and Lizzie, now seven and two, run around in the yard while she sat at the island and sipped her coffee, and Ed was surprisingly enjoying a new habit of yard work and landscaping. For a man that spent his entire life in the concrete jungle, chasing down "the bad guys", it was almost therapeutic to now construct something beautiful in their very own yard. He still would occasionally get a call from the NYPD asking for his opinion, or in this case, a follow up testimony for a corruption case he was involved with years ago.

The State Department was hoping to get the Cortez case wrapped up before Christmas, so Ed was forced to make a trip up to Albany the week before the holiday. Knowing he wanted the freedom to return to his home whenever his testimony was finished, Ed opted to drive his own truck up, hoping to keep his trip to one or two nights. However, the courts disrupted his perfectly laid plan and he was called back to speak to the jury one final time on the evening of the 23rd.

Once he was done, he turned his phone back on and hit speed dial one.

"Liv," he breathed into the phone, finally hearing her voice. "I'm just exhausted, so I'm gonna stay one more night and hit the road in the morning."

"Ed, the storm is supposed to hit tomorrow…" his wife said, a little bit of worry in her tone, but also completely understanding how this case had wiped him out. It had been several years since he was this deep in a court scene, and she knew that despite his being in great shape, he wasn't as energetic as he used to be in his IAB days.

"Don't worry, baby," he said, a slight smile forming on his face as he let the feeling of being loved by her wash over him. "I know how to drive in the snow. Plus, you know all these storms are nothing by media hype anyways. They get us all worried, up their ratings, then we get _maybe_ an inch of snow at best."

Olivia's lips pursed together tightly as she thought back to that conversation, and turned to Charlie before letting out a little sigh.

"He got on the road about an hour ago, so I think he will be here by about 2pm. Just in time to help us ice all of these cookies and make sure the place is ready," she responded, her smile growing as she thought about their impending Holiday Party. She had likely gone overboard decorating their new house, but was so happy to have the space, and thus had invited people to spend Christmas Eve with them. So far, the RSVP list included Fin, who was bringing Melinda much to Olivia's surprise, Carisi, Amanda, Jesse, and Tessa, who had come in for the holidays and had a hotel in midtown.

Though with the snow beginning to fall and stick to the roads, Olivia began to wonder if anyone would make it out there at all.

* * *

"No, no, Carisi," Olivia said into the phone about an hour later as Charlie popped in Rudolph for Noah and Lizzie. "The roads out here are already bad, and it's just supposed to get worse. In fact, I'm going to call Fin and tell him not to even try. You all stay home tonight, but maybe Tessa can come to you?"

She paused a bit, checking her cell to see if Ed had reached out recently, and sighed inwardly as she saw that he hadn't. Ever the detective, Carisi picked up on her movement and inquired what was up.

"Oh, nothing," she said softly. "Ed's on his way back from Albany and they are getting ice up that way. I'm just ready for him to get home so I can stop worrying."

Once she hung up the phone, she peered out of the window again and bit her bottom lip as the snow began to fall harder. Charlie came up behind her, having gotten the kids settled, and looked at the snow over her shoulder, placing a supportive hand on her back.

"It's okay, Momma," she said softly, hugging her gently and kissing her cheek. "He'll be home before ya know it."

Olivia looked over at Charlie and gave her a little smile before leaning into her and enjoying the cuddle from her grown daughter.

"You're right," she said. "But I'm still going to worry…"

"We'll just have to distract you," Charlie said. As if on cue, Lizzie toddled over to the adults and tugged on her Ollie's oversized green sweater.

"Up, Ollie," she said, her grin wide and arms stretched over her head. Olivia scooped her up and smothered her cheek with kisses, as the toddler squealed and laughed. "Ove you," she cooed softly, settling her head on Olivia's shoulder.

Noah, wanting to see what the fuss was about, wandered over and leaned into Charlie as they stood in front of the window.

"We are missing Rudolph, Lizzie," he said all-knowingly. "Come on, Charlie. The fort is waiting."

Following the seven-year old's orders, the four Tuckers settled themselves amongst the large pile of pillows, blankets, and snacks and cuddled together to watch the rest of Rudolph, anticipating the arrival of Ed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ed Tucker was slowly driving down the New York Thruway, as ice and snow pelted the windshield of his Ford F150, causing him to squint and lean forward as he progressed down the road. Originally, he had 60s rock blaring through the speakers, but now that the storm was worsening, he opted for the local news radio so he could get an idea of what he was in for.

He had long lost cell service, likely fifty miles back, but at that point he was still two hours outside of New York City. Add on the additional two hours out to Sag Harbor, and he still had about three to four hours if his calculations were correct.

"Dammit," he said, hitting his hands against the steering wheel as the weather report continue to call for worsening conditions through the afternoon and evening.

After his last phone call with Olivia, he knew she was a little worried, but as he listened to the chatter of Lizzie and Noah in the background, he also knew that she was in good hands until he could get himself home to her.

Unfortunately, that was now presenting itself as a problem. Slowing down to about 30 mph, Ed took a deep breath and sent up a few words to the sky.

 _"Just get me home for Christmas."_

* * *

It was now pushing 8pm on Christmas Eve, and Olivia was pacing nervously around her living room as she spoke with Carisi again.

"Anything from the police scanners?" She asked, desperately wanting information on the road conditions where her husband was. But Carisi just responded with a negative, and her head dropped.

"Look, if there was an accident, we'd know," he said softly on the phone. "It's likely just slow moving, and it's taking him a while to get home to you."

"I know," she said, her voice cracking a bit as she wrapped her free arm around herself as if to offer a little comfort. "I just want him home, safe."

"We'll keep the scanner on, and I've reached out to a buddy upstate," Carisi assured her. "No reason to think to worst. Hang in there…"

Hanging up the phone, Olivia took some deep breaths and pulled herself together, before going to the couch where Charlie was reading "The Night Before Christmas" to Noah and Lizzie. As soon as she got herself situated, Noah was climbing into her lap and curling up to her. Despite being seven, he was still a big cuddle bug and Olivia just ate it up. She kissed his head and gazed over at her daughter, who had her own daughter snuggled into her lap as she read along with the traditional Christmas story and tried to make it as animated as possible.

"Oo-dof," Lizzie said, pointing at the red-nosed reindeer in the story.

"That right, Lizzie," Noah said, leaning over to pat her head. She just gave him a drool filled smile, snuggling further into her mother as the story continued.

Olivia just moved her eyes over each of the three precious lives sitting with her on the sofa, as a rush of warmth and emotion came over her. It was picturesque, really. Snow falling outside of the large, bay window with their 9 foot Christmas tree twinkling and the fire crackling. With one hand holding Noah tightly to her, she reached the other one over and twirled Charlie's hair in her fingers. Even years later, that was a move of comfort for both her and her daughter. Something tangible to hold and feel, amidst whatever storm life was throwing at them.

She noticed Charlie smile a little as she continued to read to the kids, so she took it as a sign that she could continue. Eventually, the story came to an end and both kids let out little yawns.

"Okay, little elves," Olivia said to both Lizzie and Noah, who were dressed in matching elf pajamas. The onesie attire had red and white striped bottoms and a green top, complete with green footsie slips that looked like elf shoes. "Should we get to bed before Santa comes?"

"But Daddy isn't home yet," Noah pointed out, not sure what to make of Ed's absence that Christmas Eve. Olivia took a deep breath, calculating her response, but Charlie jumped to her rescue.

"He's on his way, Noah," she said. "It's just taking longer because of the snow. But he will be here when you wake up!"

"Okay," Noah said reluctantly, slumping back into Olivia as the adults stood up and carried both kids to Noah's room, who had insisted Lizzie stay with him in case the reindeer woke her up. "Hope he doesn't scare Santa away…"

Olivia just laughed at the statement.

"I'm sure he won't sweet boy," she said. "He'll be home way before Santa arrives."

* * *

Several hours later, Olivia's positive thinking had plummeted. She was near tears as she clutched her cell phone and stared out the window, hoping to see her husband's headlights turn into their driveway in the midst of the blizzard. The last contact she had with him was over six hours ago, and the storm had only worsened. She was texting constantly with Fin and Carisi, who were listening to the police scanners to make sure he hadn't been in an accident. Fin, who was a little calmer than Carisi in this moment, had assured Olivia over and over that Ed was just driving slow, or maybe had pulled off to a café or hotel, and couldn't get in touch because signal was down north of the city. But that did little to relieve her fears.

"He's fine, Momma," Charlie said softly, coming to stand next to her and hand her a steaming hot mug of mulled wine. "Fin is likely right, he just pulled over and can't reach us right now. We'd know if it were something else."

Olivia tried to smile, but instead her lips quivered and she instead went to inhale the spices coming off of her beverage.

"Oh, Momma," Charlie said, noticing her bubbling tears and immediately grabbed the mug, placing it on the side table before turning and pulling Olivia into her arms. "It's gonna be okay. He'll be home soon."

Olivia melted into her daughter's embrace and took some deep breaths, before breaking away and holding Charlie's face in her hands.

"You have your Daddy's eyes," she said, though the girl knew that already. It just made her smile. "And his smile. And you even have some of his ability to make me feel better…"

"We hafta believe in him, Mom," Charlie insisted. "Remember what you told me, years ago after his heart attack?"

Olivia smiled and played with Charlie's brown, wavy locks as she kept talking.

"You said that he will fight for us. And we have to believe in him," Charlie said firmly, looking into her mother's warm, brown eyes. "We did then, and we will now. He will be home, safe and sound. I just know he will."

Mother and daughter stood in the bay window, snow falling in torrents outside, and the white lights still sparkling in the background, as they drew strength from each other. They had been on so many hard roads together, and most of the time it was Olivia offering the strength to Charlie. But not this time. Charlie stepped it up, and was the rock that Olivia needed that night as they waited for any sign that Ed was okay and almost home to them.

After a few more minutes in the window, Charlie led her mother over to the sofa, covered her with a blanket, and handed her the mulled wine.

"I'm going to put in White Christmas," she decided, going over to the remote and clicked a few times before Netflix turned on and the opening number blared through the speakers. Once that was set, she grabbed her own mug of holiday cheer and curled up on the opposite side of the sofa, just close enough so her feet were touching Olivia's, offering a touchstone as they waited.

"I love this movie," Olivia murmured, her eyes dazed at the screen and Charlie watched as she fought sleep. She never slept well when Ed was away, so the younger Tucker knew she was exhausted.

"Sleep, Momma," Charlie whispered softly. "I'll wake you once Dad gets home…"

"I love you, baby girl."

"Love you too."

Charlie sat still, watching as Olivia drifted off to sleep and her body finally relaxed a bit. She crawled up off the sofa, made sure the blanket was snug around her mother's body, then walked back over to the window with her mug.

"Come on, Daddy," she whispered out into the stormy, night sky. "You can do this. Please come home for Christmas…"

* * *

 ** _Review for Part Two?_**

 ** _#Tuckson #Always_**


	6. Home for Christmas, Part Two

_**Home for Christmas, Part Two**_

* * *

Ed Tucker was slowly making his way down what he assumed was NY Highway 27 and by his calculations, he was about ten miles from home.

"Thank _God,_ " he muttered to himself as he shivered in the frigid cab of his truck. The heat had given out about three hours back, and though his head told him he needed to just pull over and wait out the storm in a hotel, his heart said otherwise. He was determined to get home to his wife, his children, and his grandchild. He wanted to see their faces when they woke up to presents under the tree. He wanted to help Olivia put together Noah's new bike and Lizzie's new kiddie jeep. He wanted to drink spiked egg nog and make love to his wife in the wee hours of Christmas morning, before anyone was up, so she knew that she was his greatest gift.

Luckily as he got further south the ice turned to snow, which was much easier to drive in. But now that he was almost out to the end of Long Island, the wind was blowing something fierce so his visibility was basically zero.

"You're almost there," he said, straightening the wrinkled family photo of all five of them that he kept on his dashboard. "Just a few more miles…"

* * *

"Oh, _Ed_ ," Olivia whispered from where she sat curled up in a blanket on the sofa. Charlie was right next to her, rubbing her back and talking softly to her. But there was nothing she could do to calm her down in that moment. "It's been over twelve hours. Twelve hours. Something happened, and they can't find him. It's the only explanation. My Ed…my love…"

"Momma," Charlie said, her voice strong and steady despite her own nerves. "Don't go there. We have no reason to believe that. My guess is he's probably out there, driving about 10 mph, our family photo on the dashboard, and cursing at the snow that's falling in his way."

Olivia just shook her head, trying to push the tears back down, and looked over at her daughter.

"Thank you," she whispered, reaching over to take her hand and squeeze it tightly in hers.

"Hey," Charlie said. "You're my Momma. I'm always gonna be right here. Just like you are for me…"

"I guess we should start putting together Noah's bike?" Olivia asked, looking around and realizing the kids would be up in about four hours and they were nowhere near ready for them.

"It's already done," Charlie responded slyly, standing up to go back into her bedroom. She reappeared a few minutes later with the bike and the purple kiddie jeep, juggling them both as she pulled them into the living room, and Olivia just smiled.

"When did you do that?" She asked, the shock registering on her face, but her smile couldn't have been larger.

"While you were sleeping," Charlie shrugged. "Figured once Daddy gets home, he'll want to go to bed, so I just got to work."

Olivia stood and helped Charlie arrange everything around the tree and under the window seal, then they both stood back and admired their work.

"Well, I think we are ready," she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself as the tears began to fall after she said her last word.

"Momma, Momma, Momma," Charlie said, immediately going to embrace the woman and rock her a bit. "Shhhhh, it's okay. He'll be here any minute. You'll see."

Just then the two women heard a little cry come from the back hallway, signaling Lizzie was awake and upset. Charlie moved to head back there, but Olivia grasped her arm to stop her.

"Can I?" she asked softly. "My grandbaby is a good distraction right now…"

"Of course," Charlie said with a smile. "She'll be happy to be spoiled by her Ollie...I'll finish up the presents in here."

Olivia smiled her thanks, kissed Charlie's cheek and made her way back to their little bedroom suite, leaving Charlie in the middle of a stash of colored presents and empty mugs of mulled wine.

"Daddy, don't make a liar outta me," she said under her breath, to no one in particular, then began to clean up the area and add traces of Santa's visit.

* * *

Olivia was laying alongside of Lizzie, who was curled into her chest and clutching her Fearlessness necklace in her little fist. She was humming Silent Night, both to soothe Lizzie back to sleep and also her own heart. Eventually, the girl's breathing evened out and her grip loosened up a bit, but Olivia didn't move. She stared down at the mob of brown, curly bed head and leaned down to kiss it, before glancing over at her son who was conked out, face down on his bed, covers thrown all over. Pulling Lizzie a bit tighter to her, she let out a deep breath and took in the entire scene. It would never get old, in her mind, being surrounded by her babies and her grandbaby. So often, parents would be ready for their children to leave the nest and get a place of their own, but not Ed and Olivia. She figured it was because they all got such a late start on being a family; it was as if they were now making up for lost time. But in reality, they were just so tightly bonded to each other now, it was nearly impossible to think about ever living apart.

As she stayed curled in a toddler bed, lost in thought, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway shook her out of her thoughts and her head popped up.

"Ed…" she whispered, slowly extracting herself from Lizzie's little grip. Careful not to wake any of the children, she stood and covered the toddler back up before tip-toeing out, closing the door behind her.

Finally free to hurry, she made a beeline for the front door right as Charlie was opening it and allowing a snow covered, freezing cold Ed Tucker into the house.

As soon as his eyes met hers, she stopped in her tracks for a bit, taking in his presence and then made a mad dash across the living room and into the foyer before leaping into his arms and nearly tackling him back against the now closed front door.

"Oh my god, Ed…" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck in a near death grip. Ed quickly shook his gloves off and brought his arms to hold his wife tightly to him, lifting her up off the floor so she was completely wrapped around him.

"Olivia…" he breathed, burying his frozen nose in her hair and inhaling her scent, relieved to be home and in the presence of his family.

"I was so worried…" she said from her place tucked into his neck, and he just squeezed her a bit tighter.

"I'm here," he said. "But I'm freezing, so if ya could hop down for a bit so I can get these snow covered shoes off, we can go warm up by the fire…."

Olivia laughed a bit, her face blushing at just how emotional she got once she saw her husband alive and well, and slid down his body so her sock covered feet were touching the ground. She wrapped her arm around his waist as he shook his shoes off, then ushered him over to the rug in front of the fireplace and sat him down, grabbing the blanket from the couch.

"I'll put some fresh coffee on," Charlie said, patting Ed on his icy head before departing for a bit with a small smile on her face.

"Thanks sweetheart," he said, before turning back to Olivia who was just gazing at him through tear-filled eyes. Her complexion glowed in the light of the fireplace, and it took his breath away. She was beautiful. Reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear, he leaned in to kiss her gently.

"You're home…" she whispered, her lips still millimeters from his as they just stared at each other.

"I'm home…" he repeated, before winding his hands in her hair and tilting her head so he could get a deeper, more passionate kiss. They explored each other's mouths for a bit, until a throat cleared behind them causing them the separate and look at Charlie with sheepish grins.

"Sorry, Charlie," Ed said with a smirk, and his daughter just laughed and handed him a hot cup of coffee.

"I'll let it slide this time, old man," she said, plopping down next to him and leaning in for a quick cuddle. "But only cuz we were so worried…don't fucking do that to us again!"

Ed just laughed as he sipped the warm drink and kissed his daughter's head.

"I promise."

* * *

"So…cold…" Ed said, shivering as he stood in the bathroom watching Olivia warm up the shower for him.

"I know, baby," she said. "Water is almost there…we'll get you all warmed up…"

She moved over to him, stripping the last bits of clothes off of his body and wrapped herself around him, tipping her head and kissing his chin as she held him to her own, warm body.

"Mmmmmm," he said, feeling the heat radiating off of her and onto him. "You are the best blanket…"

Olivia just chuckled and backed them towards the shower.

"That's a weird compliment, but I'll take it," she said with a smirk as they settled themselves under the steamy shower head. Ed closed his eyes as the warm water finally began to warm him up, and he pulled Olivia as close to him as he could as they swayed under the water.

"You just feel so good…" he said softly, looking into her eyes and kissing her nose before devouring her mouth.

Olivia let out a whimper, as she curled herself around him even more and let him take whatever he needed in that moment.

It wasn't long before she felt her back hit the wall of the shower, and Ed lifted her up slightly. He wrapped one of her legs around his waist and cupped her breast with the other as he continued thrusting his tongue into her mouth.

"Unghhhhh," Olivia managed to say as she felt his hardness rub up against her, and her hips bucked a bit to meet his.

Ed pulled back, breathless, to look into her eyes and make sure she was okay.

"You good, baby?" he asked, his eyes hooded with desire. Olivia just smiled and nodded.

"More than," she whispered. "I'm perfect. Make love to me, baby…"

"Gladly," he said, before fully sheathing himself in her body and muffling her cries with his lips as he started a slow, but hard pace in and out of her. Warm water still pelting their bodies, Ed and Olivia added to the fogginess of their master bathroom as grunts and groans filled the room.

Eventually the couple, both fully sated but out of breath, turned to shut the shower off together and began to dry each other off, their eyes staying in contact the entire time. Ed gently pulled Olivia into their bedroom before pulling on his boxers and tossing her a deep green, v-neck t-shirt of his to put on.

Once they were both situated under the covers, and Ed had stopped shivering, Olivia pulled him to where his head was resting on her chest and she played with his shortly cropped gray hair.

"Thank God you're home…" she whispered, still reveling in the fact that he had made it. She felt him grip her waist a bit tighter, and his breath tickled her breast as he spoke.

"It was never an option to not get here," he said. "I was not going to miss our first Christmas in this house…"

"Ed…" Olivia began, but then let it go. It didn't matter. He was home safe, in her arms, and nothing else needed to be said. "The kids will be up in a couple of hours…wanna try and sleep?"

He was silent for a bit, as he mulled over his options, but then he slithered his way up his wife's body, kissing and licking her exposed skin on the way until his mouth was at her ear.

"I don't wanna sleep," he rasped, sending chills down her body. "I just wanna make love to you all night…"

"What are you waiting for?" Oliva quipped, using her feet to pull his boxers off as he ripped the t-shirt she had just put on, back off of her body.

"God I love you," he growled, before attacking her neck with little nibbles and kisses. "Mine…"

"Yours. Always."

* * *

The next morning found five Tuckers, all in matching green and red lounge-wear, sprawled out on the living room floor amongst strewn, holiday wrapping paper and bows. Noah was dutifully helping Lizzie build with her new, toddler sized Legos while the Yuletide Netflix played in the background. Ed was cursing at how ridiculous the packaging was on Lizzie's new doll that she wanted to cuddle, and Olivia was slowly cleaning up the paper as she laughed at her husband's frustration.

"Oh, you think it's funny?" He asked, looking up at her with a gleam in his eye. "You come try it."

"No thanks, Mr. Handy-man," she said. "You chose that over cleaning up or starting the turkey, so you're stuck with it."

Ed just grunted, though it was with a smile, and went back to try to help Noah and Lizzie break into all of their new toys.

"Hey, Liv?" Charlie yelled from in the kitchen. "Can you help me get this thing in the oven?"

"Sure, babe, gimme a sec and I'll be right there," she said, before grabbing the last of the wrapping paper, shoving it in the bag, and placing it by the front door before heading back into the kitchen. "Smells good," she noted, snooping around the kitchen to find the source.

"Warming up the mulled wine," Charlie explained. "Figured we can start early, since we had a long night. But first, the turkey?"

"Oh, right," Olivia said, having gotten distracted, and went to help her daughter with the bird. "With the party being canceled last night, we are going to have a lot of leftovers…"

Charlie just shrugged and went to wash her hands.

"Oh well," she said. "I'll take the cookies into work, and we can make soup out of the turkey if we want…"

"True," Olivia responded, running her hand along the counter. "I was just hoping to have a big ole celebration. But this is just fine. Your Daddy is home safe, the kids are happy, and we have fresh snow to sled on across the street."

"Exactly," Charlie said, wrapping an arm around her mother's shoulders and looking at her with a smile. "Gotta just roll with it…"

Just then, there was a commotion on the front porch, causing the adults to all head that way in curiosity. Ed got there first, throwing the door open and seeing who he assumed was Carisi standing there, boxes piled high in his arms, while Rollins came up the stairs with Jesse and Tessa trailed behind with her own bag of gifts.

"How did you guys get here?" Olivia said, wrapping a cardigan around her as Ed ushered the gang into the house and helped them with all the packages.

"Well, the roads were better this mornin'," Carisi said as she shook the snow off and divested himself of his coat. "And we figured, why not all be together today since we couldn't last night!"

Charlie ran over to hug Tessa, and pulled the woman into the kitchen as they began to talk about how Lizzie's morning went. Noah immediately tugged on Carisi's sweater, requesting he come help him with some of his new race-car tracks, and Jesse walked over to where Lizzie was putting the final touch on her Lego tower before knocking it over and starting all over again.

Now Ed, Olivia, and Amanda were left in the foyer, watching the scene unfold in front of them, all smiling.

"I'm so glad you guys came out," Olivia said, giving Rollins a quick side hug. Ed moved to rest his hand on his wife's back and echoed her sentiment.

"Same here," he said. "We were hoping for a loud, joyful Christmas this year, and after last night, we were settling for small and quiet…but I know Liv really wanted this."

"I did," she murmured, her eyes still on the living room. Charlie and Tessa were now on the couch, sipping mulled wine and giggling at the two toddlers, while Carisi was resting his back against the chaise and racing cars with Noah.

"I'm glad it worked out too," Amanda said, before seeing Jesse take a toy from Lizzie and went over to try and prevent the meltdown.

Olivia let out a sigh and melted back into Ed's chest, as he wrapped his arms around her stomach and kissed her cheek a few times, before settling his own cheek against the top of her head, swaying them slightly.

"Are you happy?" he asked, knowing the answer but wanting her to say it.

"I am," she said, her hands moving to grip his as they watched their family, both blood and chosen, enjoy a leisurely Christmas morning in their new living room. "I want to freeze this moment, because it's just perfect…"

"As long as we are together," Ed began, rubbing his cheek against her head a bit. "It will always be perfect."

Olivia turned in his arms and looked at him, her lips curving into a small smile and her brown eyes twinkling with contentment and love.

"I love you, Ed Tucker," she said, kissing him lightly. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, baby," he said. "I love you, too."

* * *

 ** _Well? Does this satisfy you all? Lemme know in the reviews, but try not to call people names...I don't like that very much._**

 ** _Also, there is a possibility that's it for the Holiday One-Shots unless someone inspires me with a genius idea. Feel free to try! But just in case, I hope all of you have a very Happy and Tuckson-Filled Holiday! As for me, I'll be lounging on my couch, staring at the holiday card the Tucker family of five took in front of their perfect Christmas tree in their perfect living room, that I'm sure will be arriving in the mail any day now._**


End file.
